1 Kings 13:23

And it came to pass, after he had eaten bread, and after he had drunk, that he saddled [ i.e; the prophet of Bethel; the "man of God" would seem to have come on foot. See below] for him the ass, to wit, for the prophet whom he had brought back. This translation is inadmissible. For not only is the term "prophet" throughout this narrative restricted to the prophet of Bethel (the prophet of Judah being always spoken of as "the man of God,") but the expression here used הַנָּבִיא א ה is also twice used ( 1 Kings 13:20 , 1 Kings 13:26 ) of the same prophet. He is characterized there, that is to say, as "the prophet which brought him back;" it is hardly likely, therefore, that the same words are here to be interpreted, "the prophet whom he brought back." The mistake has arisen from the proximity of לוֹ ("for him") to לַנָּבִיּא ("to" or "for the prophet"). But the לוֹ is here indicative of possession (the dative of the possessor), as in 1 Samuel 14:16 , "the watchmen to," i.e; of, "Saul," and 1 Samuel 16:18 , "a son to Jesse" (cf. Genesis 14:18 Heb.; 1 Kings 5:1-18 :29 Heb.; Ruth 2:3 Heb.) We must therefore render "He saddled for him (the man of God) the ass of the prophet which brought him back." The man of God had been delayed by his return to Bethel, and the prophet, out of pity, lends or gives him his ass. Not merely, it is probable, for the sake of speeding him on his way, but that he might have some living thing with him on a journey which he had so much cause to dread.